You should seriously avoid peripheral and controversial matters. I, unfortunately, witness that – this is not a recent development – some have been, many times, involved in peripheral and controversial matters. Nowadays, with the emergence of cyberspace with its particular vagaries and controversies, these matters are more noticeable. You should avoid them as much as you can.

Create Income Sources Other than Oil

This is a grave disaster for the country. It is a comfortable source of income to extract oil from wells and to sell it at a specific price. This is a comfortable and easy source of income. From the beginning – I mean in previous eras – we have gotten used to this method. However, this has turned out to be to our disadvantaged. It has really turned out to be to our disadvantage. There are countries which do not produce a single drop of oil, but they searched and found other means. They found better means and this proved to be in their best interests.

Oil is not in our control. It is not in the hands of oil producers, as you can see. This is not only due to sanctions because sanctions are a recent development, but even when there are no sanctions, oil is in the hands of common bullying consumers in the world. Oil is in the control of the US, Europe and their followers. Pricing and other matters are in their control and they hatch different plots and launch various attacks. Therefore, we should resolve this issue in the country.

Focus On Leading Sectors of the Economy

In the economic environment of the country, some economic factors play a pioneering role. If these factors are put in place, then the entire economic system will be set in motion. One of these factors is the issue of housing. If the area of housing is set in motion, this will prompt an important part of the economy of the country into action. Another is agriculture. Another is the car manufacturing industry. Another is knowledge-based companies. Another factor is household appliances. These are matters that play a leading role in every country and therefore, they should be highlighted. The organizations which are in charge of these areas should work on them as much as possible. If these leading sectors are set in motion, the general movement of the economy will become radically different.

Support Domestic Producers and Remove the Barriers For Them

We do not have a correct attitude towards domestic producers. I will tell you that the administration and the officials of the country should look at a producer like a soldier. Well, you speak about an economic war, who are the soldiers of this economic war? The soldiers are those who strengthen the domestic economy and the domestic economy is primarily strengthened with production. So, you should view them like a soldier. I have said this many times in the same meeting with you friends – either meetings with government officials or other meetings on economic matters with most of you present in them: in order to start an activity, a producer has to pass through “seven khans” [a khan is a difficult stage in a journey or a mission. A reference to the well-known example of the seven khans that Rostam had to pass in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh]. I spoke of seven khans, but sometimes, they have to pass through 70 khans!

There are various rules and regulations. An organization demands something, but another organization demands a different thing and yet another organization wants a specific permit. What is the necessity of doing this? We should serious about these matters.

Wealth Should Serve to Uproot Poverty and Administer Social Justice

What is the main purpose of boosting and improving the economy of the country? The main purpose is to administer social justice in society, to uproot poverty, to enrich the country and by doing so, to eliminate and uproot poverty. In the present time, the richest country in the world is the US, but many millions of people live below the poverty line in that country. A large number of people die of hunger, cold or heat in the corner of a street. We do not want this. Only building a rich country is not necessarily what Islam pursues. Wealth should be at the service of uprooting poverty and administering justice. We should move forward with this outlook and attitude.

The Enemy is Using Culture to Fight the Islamic Republic After Failing at War and Economic Sanctions

Regarding culture – the friends who are involved in the issue of culture should pay careful attention – we are faced with an all-out attack in this area. A large camp is launching an attack on us in the area of culture. This can be witnessed in their words. Of course, we knew this beforehand, but they are now openly saying that overcoming the Islamic Republic and the authority of Islam cannot be achieved with a military war and with economic sanctions, rather it can be achieved with cultural work and cultural infiltration. They say that they have to change minds, work on brains and provoke temptations. They are openly saying this in the present time.

Do Not Be Afraid of the Enemy

You should not be afraid of the enemy. The enemy who is facing us now was not born today. He was there from the first day of the Revolution. If the US, Europe, the former Soviet Union and other powers could do something against the Islamic Republic, they would have done so by now. You see that they have not been able to do anything. Of course, they have caused some trouble, but they have received an equal share of it as well. This shows that they cannot, as they have not been able to until the present time, work on confronting the Islamic Republic and the authority of Islam in this country.

Of course, we have fallen behind our agenda a little bit, we have witnessed obstacles in our plans and there have been certain snags. These things exist, but the movement has not come to a halt. We have moved forward and we have made progress. The Islamic Republic in the present time cannot be compared with that of 20, 30 years ago. Our achievements, our power and our various capabilities – including in political, military and economic areas – have drastically changed and improved. The enemy cannot do a damn thing.

Therefore, you should not have considerations for him in this regard. In the next 40 years of the Revolution, they will not be able to accomplish what they failed to do in the first 40 years and the second 40 years will be better for us than the first and worse for them. You should be confident and have no doubts about this.

Kashmir is a Wound Left by the British and I am Seriously Concerned About Recent Developments There

I am upset about the situation of Kashmir. The friends in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not present here, but the Muslim people of Kashmir are really being oppressed. They are really being pressured. A fair policy should be adopted by the Indian government regarding these honorable people who live there. Of course, we are on good terms with the Indian government, but we have this expectation of them.

I will tell you that this is the work of malicious England. This is a wound that the English have opened in the Indian Subcontinent since 1947. When they were moving out of that area and when the subcontinent was divided into two parts – India and Pakistan – they inflicted that wound and they deliberately did not want it to be healed. They wished that the two countries of India and Pakistan would continue to have disputes and disagreements. Well, these pressures which are being exerted on the people are the consequences of that policy.